I like this image. Do you think the content was a setup? I don’t. The artist probably waited at this location for something to happen. She must have been aware of the sign that says “guns.” And then, into the image, by chance, comes a young woman, vulnerable in her bare feet, pushing a baby carriage and also, similarly vulnerable is the child drawing on the sidewalk. There is a symbolic rainbow. Brilliantly arranged like a ballet sequence, but all by accident, and seen by the photographer.
There is a political message here in addition to the fine art perspective. Should politics be part of the gallery scene? Of course—photojournalism often bridges the divide of fine art and news/politics. When photography was invented, it was mostly pretty pictures.
But later, photography began to tell stories. Consider Matthew Brady shooting battle scenes in the Civil War. And photography can also project opinions as in this image called “Sidewalk 2017” It is from the magazine Photograph. The gallery is indicated at the bottom of the page. —-Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.
WYNTON MARSALIS “It’s Easy to Remember”